


You’re not fine

by JustAnotherNerd1820



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Cold, F/M, In The Tardis, Not a specific Doctor so could be any, River has bacon socks, River is sick and the Doctor takes care of her, Sickfic, hey guys, it’s literally just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:47:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27940259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherNerd1820/pseuds/JustAnotherNerd1820
Summary: River Song is sick, and our favourite Doctor takes care of her.
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor/River Song, River Song/The Doctor, The Doctor/River Song, Twelfth Doctor/River Song
Comments: 6
Kudos: 51





	You’re not fine

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for picking my story to read. It’s just a one shot of River and the Doctor. You can really put any Doctor in, but I had Eleven in mind as I wrote it. Anyway, I don’t own these characters, but I wish I did. Hope you enjoy!

River sniffed as she ran her fingers down the TARDIS's main console. The Doctor leaned back against a railing, obviously trying to restrain himself from interfering.

"You left the brakes on," he noted.

"That I did," River agreed, trying not to let it faze her. She hated the sound of the TARDIS landing with its brakes locked; why had she forgotten? She flicked the switch, and flashed a smile at her husband.

The Doctor grinned back--he always looked a little like an overexcited puppy around her. Although River suspected that he was like that all the time, and her presence simply accented those traits. "Are you doing okay?"

"Fine!" The pep wasn't coming naturally; River was tired. She wondered vaguely if Time Lords could get sick. She hadn't ever been sick as a child, but that life had been so much less exciting than what she was doing now.

New planets, new people. It was thrilling. A slight shiver ran through her. It wasn't from exhilaration.

The Doctor came up behind her. "Are you sure you're alright?" Despite his childishness, he really did care. And he was good at caring. Sometimes more than River wanted to admit.

"I'm perfect sweetie." River wanted to lean in to give him a kiss, but didn't want to run the risk of her lips being too warm. The Doctor was a very keen observer, especially when it came to her mouth.

They began their dance around the TARDIS, River knowing exactly what to hit and when, the Doctor pressing things at random, hoping it would work.

River thought it was adorable, although it was not a very effective strategy for trying to get somewhere. Which reminded her. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Anywhere you want."

"Then stop pressing buttons and let me pick!" She still had enough energy for sarcasm and jokes, thank goodness.

The Doctor tugged a curl and stepped back, avoiding River's halfhearted attempt at slapping his face. "Just don't take us to-"

"I know, I know, you owe Cassanova a chicken and you're married to Queen Elizabeth the First so avoid those centuries on Earth." River rolled her eyes, then blew a kiss to the Doctor.

"So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise, Doctor." Quite honestly, River had no idea. She scrolled through the years, a headache forming behind her left eye. Squinting, she picked a year at random, hoping it was a decent one.

"River?"

"I'm fine."

"You're swaying."

"I'm dancing, Doctor."

"River-"

"I'm fine."

"You set the date to February third fifteen sixty two. I married Queen Bessie that year."

"Ah, yes, well we're avoiding her." River was gripping a handle, knuckles white with the effort of clinging to the single object keeping her up.

"River." It wasn't a question anymore, and River turned around to face him, leaning hard against the main console.

"Sweetie?" She raised her eyebrows. "It's fine, I'll change it." River didn't move however, willing the throbbing in her head to stop.

The Doctor came up to her, and pressed his face to her forehead. "You're warm," he murmured.

"You never turn the thermostat down in here. It's always as hot as a dying star."

"River. Sit down." The Doctor gestured vaguely around him. There weren't any actual chairs, but the different levels in the control room offered decent spots to rest.

"I'm fine sweetie." River was very much not fine, but that wasn't something that currently bothered her. She was slightly worried about the rapidly increasing pressure of her headache, but pretended that she wasn't.

The Doctor swept a hand behind her back, gently spinning her so that she was leaning on his arm.

"Doctor. Doctor, what are you doing?" River managed to stand herself up from his arms, only to fall back into them.

"I am going to take care of you." 

A hint of a smile crossed River's face.

"Don't laugh at me! I'll drop you," the Doctor threatened.

"You don't have the first idea as to how this works, do you?" River really did pull herself from the Doctor's arms this time, trying to lean nonchalantly on a railing.

"I make you go to bed and you fall asleep and it all gets better?"

River decided to take pity on him. "Sort of." She took as deep a breath as she could without making any obnoxious sounds. "We'll go with that," she offered another smile.

"No, tell me." The Doctor settled down on the floor, cross-legged, like a kindergartner listening to his teacher.

River sighed, then began to cough, holding up one finger. When she finally stopped, she had decided it was weird to be standing while her husband was sitting. She sat down as well.

"I don't really know what you're supposed to do either," she admitted, running a hand through her hair.

"We will figure it out together then!" The Doctor jumped up, seeming far too excited for the situation.

"Yes, we will." River made to stand up, then realized that any hope of that had probably flown out the window when she sat down in the first place.

The Doctor helped her up.

"Down that hallway, turn right twice each time the choice presents itself, and then there should be a bedroom, fifth door on the right. I'll be right over."

"Amazing." River unsteadily made her way to the room the directions pointed to. She hoped her husband would be along soon.

The bedroom was there, just as he said. River wasn't sure if that was because the TARDIS took pity on her and put it there, or if the Doctor actually had a map of its interior glued to the inside of his head. Ever expanding, folds unfolding that you didn't even know were there.

It was quiet as she opened the door. Quiet, dark, and cool. Finally, the throbbing began to lessen. Settling heavily on the bed, River put her head in her hands. This was all wrong. She wasn't supposed to be sick.

"I brought soup." The Doctor announced his presence with a slight bang of the door, and the smell of chicken noodle and tea. "Here." He handed her a bowl with a spoon sinking slowly into the broth.

"Thank you." River wasn't hungry, but she took the soup anyway. She slowly swirled the carrots around, not eating. "I'm going to take a nap, but wake me up in an hour." She looked hard at the Doctor. "Don't let me sleep longer than that."

She didn't tell him it was because of the nightmares. He didn't need to know that.

"You can sleep as long as you want. I have nowhere I need to be."

River offered a small smile. "There's always someone who needs a doctor." She winced as another coughing fit doubled her over.

"Right now, that's you." The Doctor sat down next to River, leaning to unzip her boots. She didn't argue, even as he revealed her socks with printed images of bacon. "I like your socks," he said.

River didn't answer, already half asleep on his shoulder. A vague noise came from the back of her throat, but it could have been the phlegm.

The Doctor gently pulled down the blanket, slipping her under. He left a lingering kiss on her forehead, and River rolled into the sheets, curling herself up into a ball.

Neither moved for a long moment, then the Doctor stood up, not sure what to do next. He never had been very good at true doctor things.

"Stay." River's voice was muffled from the pillow and barely audible from the cold, but he heard. He sat back down, pulling her closer to him, gently rubbing her back. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Any time."

River wanted to close her eyes, to sleep so badly, but it evaded her, so close by but never close enough.

"You're not sleeping."

"I'm trying to, but you keep talking." River sighed. She hated when this happened, and it happened more often than she cared to admit. She knew what would come if eventually sleep did find her.

The Doctor pushed her over to the side of the bed. River didn't attempt to fight back. He kicked off his shoes, wrapping his arms around her, suffocating her slightly in his chest.

"Doctor," River began to protest, trying to worm away, but he held firm.

"Sleep. I'll protect you."

Despite his childishness and sometimes his pure idiocracy, the Doctor could be an adult if he wanted. This was the Doctor River had truly fallen for.

"You don't want to fight my demons." Her voice was scratchy, tired. Her eyes were so heavy. "You fight enough already."

"Just tonight," he promised. "Just for now. Tomorrow, they can be yours all over again. But tonight, they're our demons." He planted a kiss on her head.

"What if you get sick?" River halfheartedly tried wrenching herself from his grip one last time before giving in and settling into his chest.

"Then you can take care of me." The Doctor grinned. "That doesn't sound too bad now, does it? Doctor River Song."

"I'm a professor," River corrected, words beginning to slur, edged with sleep. "Not a doctor."

"You could be a nurse," suggested her husband.

"I'll be a doctor."

"River?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

River didn't answer with words, simply pulled their bodies closer together, with a trust that she hoped showed what she was trying to convey.

I love you too.

Sleep was knocking, and her eyes were closing. He would fight her monsters. Just for tonight. The soft shivers that ran through her body only seemed to make her warmer, but sleep would take that. And for once there wouldn't be any monsters.

River smiled. "I love you too," she whispered.


End file.
